News Flash

Linn County Board of Supervisors

Posted on: May 2, 2018

Linn County Earns Awards for Excellence in Financial Reporting

Linn County was recently awarded the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting for the County’s Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting for its Popular Annual Financial Report (PAFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2017. The awards were given by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada. This is the 29th consecutive year Linn County has received this recognition for the CAFR and the 20th consecutive year the County has received this recognition for the PAFR.

The Certificate of Achievement, which was awarded for the Linn County CAFR, is the highest form of recognition in the area of governmental accounting and financial reporting, and represents a significant accomplishment by a government and its management.

The GOFA review panel determined Linn County’s CAFR met the high standards of the program including demonstrating the spirit of transparency and full disclosure to clearly communicate Linn County’s financial story.

The Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting, which was awarded for the Linn County PAFR, is a prestigious national award recognizing conformance with the highest standards for preparation of state and local government popular reports.

In order to receive an Award for Outstanding Achievement in Popular Annual Financial Reporting, a government unit must publish a PAFR whose contents meet program standards for creativity, presentation, understandability and reader appeal.

The 16-page PAFR is a shorter, less technical summary of Linn County’s financial condition compared to the 100-plus page CAFR. In addition to providing easy to understand financial information, the PAFR also highlights Linn County’s accomplishments and major initiatives of the past year and demonstrates the vital role of county government. Linn County produces the PAFR as part of its ongoing commitment to keep citizens informed about the County’s finances and to be accountable for the receipt and expenditure of public funds.

Copies of Linn County’s CAFR and PAFR are available at the Jean Oxley Linn County Public Service Center, 935 Second St. SW, Cedar Rapids or on Linn County’s website at www.linncounty.org/finance.

About GFOA

The GFOA is a professional association serving approximately 19,000 appointed and elected local, state, and provincial-level government officials and other finance practitioners. The association is headquartered in Chicago, Ill., with offices in Washington, D.C. See www.gfoa.org for more information.